Comparison

Magnates vs Archmage Idle

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Magnates

Build an oil empire in this idle tycoon game. Manage assets, trade companies, and research upgrades to maximize profits and become an oil magnate. The game offers a strategic business simulation experience.

Highlights
  • Build an oil company empire
  • Control various assets
  • Buy and sell companies
  • Research and upgrade output
  • Generate extra profits
Features
Read full description

Start Drilling Today! Build your fortune from the ground up in Magnates, the ultimate idle oil tycoon game. Take control of a small drilling operation and transform it into a global energy empire. Expand your business, manage your workforce, invest in research, and strategically buy and sell companies to maximize profits. Every decision brings you one step closer to becoming the world's greatest Oil Magnate. Build Your Empire Expand every aspect of your company by unlocking and purchasing a wide range of buildings, vehicles, and infrastructure. Drill for oil, refine it into valuable products, store it in massive depots, and transport it across the globe. Construct docks to ship your oil overseas using everything from nimble speed boats to enormous cargo ships. Build a laboratory to research powerful upgrades that increase production efficiency, and build hangars to transport oil by air. There are countless ways to grow your empire. Rise From Humble Beginnings Start with a single oil drill and gradually expand into a global corporation. Hire workers, manage employee wages, construct new facilities, and make smart investments in competing companies. Once your business reaches a certain point, sell it to eager investors and restart with even greater potential. Research, Upgrade, and Prosper Advance your company through an extensive research system that unlocks new technologies and boosts every stage of production. Improve drilling, refining, transportation, and aviation to build a faster, more profitable operation. Earn Rewards Complete achievements and collect gems as your company grows. Spend gems on powerful temporary or permanent boosts that increase mining, refining, transportation, and aviation performance. You can also exchange gems for cash to accelerate your expansion, or purchase additional gems directly from the in-game shop. Can you build the world's greatest oil empire? Download Magnates and start drilling today!

About

Archmage Idle

An idle RPG where you train skills to empower wizards and manage resources. Your guild continues to work and gather resources even when you are offline, allowing for continuous progression.

Highlights
  • Interconnected skill system
  • Recruit and train wizards
  • Elemental hex map combat
  • Resource management
  • Offline progression
  • Item collection
Features
Read full description

Train Skills. Recruit Wizards. Conquer Foes. An idle/incremental RPG with deeply interconnected skills. Your skills feed the frontlines: Attunement, Summoning, and Sigilry power your wizards as they fight across an elemental hex map. Your skills feed the supply lines: Research, Runecrafting, Alchemy, Mercantile, and Scavenging keep the resources flowing. And skills you won't find anywhere else, like Chronomancy, Diplomacy, and Appraisal, tie it all together. Burn Runes in the Runic Cauldron. Train wizards at the Academy. Sell surplus goods on the Bazaar. Collect hundreds of items that fuel both your skilling and your combat. Your guild keeps working while you're offline.

Screenshots

Magnates4 screens
Archmage Idle4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Magnates at 5.0 against Archmage Idle's 4.5. Magnates also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 77%). Archmage Idle's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs fortnightly) and ratings volume (72 vs 4). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Magnates sells 5 one-off in-app purchases and Archmage Idle sells 9 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Magnates holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Archmage Idle has 72 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Magnates's written reviews are positive against 77% of Archmage Idle's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Magnates ships an update fortnightly, Archmage Idle every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Magnates versus Archmage Idle: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMagnatesArchmage Idle
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (4 ratings) — better4.5 (72 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better76.9% of reviews
Number of ratings472 — better
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 3 days — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#181 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size136 MB372 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperYadprowin LLCTopCog LLC

Customer experience

Magnates

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Archmage Idle

All ratings72 ratings
Positive86.1%
Neutral2.8%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews52 reviews
Positive76.9%
Neutral3.8%
Negative19.2%

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Magnates

One-time5
  • Handful of Gems$0.99
  • Cluster of Gems$2.99
  • Barrel of Gems$4.99
Show 2 more
  • Chest of Gems$9.99
  • Landfill of Gems$19.99
9 purchases

Archmage Idle

One-time9
  • Time Warp$0.99
  • VIP 1 - Apprentice Patron$2.99
  • Remove Ads + XP Boost$4.99
Show 6 more
  • VIP 2 - Adept Patron$4.99
  • Animus Augment$9.99
  • Time Warp x10$9.99
  • VIP 3 - Mage Patron$9.99
  • VIP 4 - Grandmage Patron$14.99
  • VIP 5 - Archmage Patron$19.99

Questions

Is Magnates free?
Magnates is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Archmage Idle free?
Archmage Idle is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Magnates or Archmage Idle?
Magnates is rated higher. Magnates averages 5.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Archmage Idle averages 4.5 from 72 ratings.
Do Magnates or Archmage Idle have ads?
Both Magnates and Archmage Idle show ads.
Which is updated more often, Magnates or Archmage Idle?
Magnates ships an update fortnightly, and Archmage Idle every 3 days. Most recently, Magnates was updated on October 16, 2026 and Archmage Idle on October 25, 2026.

Other comparisons